The Politics of Pessimism in Ecclesiastes : A Social-Science Perspective

In a heavily revised version of his 1990 doctoral dissertation at Drew University, Sneed (Bible, Lubbock Christian U.) explores what he calls the strangest book in the Bible: English Ecclesiastes, Hebrew Qohelet, or Preacher. He looks at its heterodox character, its sociohistorical context, the audience's social location, synchronic literary analysis, the problem of evil and cognitive dissonance, the irrational response to the (over-)rationalization of traditional wisdom, the positive power of the book's pessimism, and the sociology of its canonicity. Annotation 2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)